The Story of Katherine Kolarov
by autumn sprite
Summary: Life isn't easy when an overbearing gorilla of man named Paul starts to hunt me down at every turn, laying on the love. But it gets even worse when someone less overprotective and harmless starts hunting too...


Moments away.

I breathed in shallowly, trying to make them soundless.

"Pretty girl, pretty _pretty_ girl. Where _are_ you?"

I started to feel faint, unable to get adequate oxygen from my stagnant breaths.

There was a ghastly smell; a metallic tang and the terribly overbearing smell of rotting flesh. The buz of busy flies was burning my ears.

I somehow knew I was amongst the shallow graves of his previous victims, lead here perfectly by my fear chasing me into the forest. He had more control over his sick game than he had lead me to believe. And this was the end.

"I can hear your brain tick over pretty girl. I can smell the fear dripping from your pores. But you have no reason to worry because you're more special than the whores in the ground, you are going to be mine, mine forever."

Without warning his hand was around my neck, the serrated dry leaves and sticks pulling at my skin as I was dragged from the bush.

But I will start from the start, where things were more simple.

Though I never thought that at the time.

...

I was nervous, so much so that I had gotten up two and a half hours early to get ready.

School started today after three months off for summer holidays. I was scared, horribly so.

Because over the summer I had been at fat camp, yes fat camp. Before it I had been miserable in myself and now I was horribly afraid I would slip back to my old ways, afraid of food and most of all afraid of the kids that had driven me to breaking point before the summer. I caked my face in makeup, so I looked perfect, not a pimple showing, not a hair out of place.

I looked into the mirror, took a deep breath and let a smirk cross my face.

I would never be weak again.

As I decended the stairs my mother walked out from the kitchen, immaculate as ever, smiling approvingly at me. "Katherine I'm so proud of you, you have finally reached a standard suitable for the Kolarov name."

I nodded at her and left without a word.

My family had lived in Forks for a year and a half, and though mother didn't like the rain, dad was given a three year contract to start up a small hospital in La Push. So far it had an emergency room and fifteen beds and was operating quite well.

As I drove my car into the school car park I went over my plan in my head. _Stick to yourself, avoid Hannah Connerly. Avoid at all costs. _Simple but hopefully effective.

I slammed the door and was about to step away when a large red pickup truck came roaring into the park next to me. I flattened myself up against the car, noticing it was Bella who threw me an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry! Are you new here?" she asked me when she got out, slinging her back pack over her shoulder.

"Um nah this is my second year here," I smiled, "I'm a junior."

"Cool, that's probably why I haven't seen you, I'm a senior this year. I'm Bella Swan," she extended her hand and I shook it, amazed at how nice she was. The bell rang in the background.

"Oh we better get to class, my name is Katherine Kolarov, it's nice to meet you."

"You too," she smiled before heading towards the science building.

I didn't escape any taunts. Once Hannah realised that I was just a much skinnier version of the old Katherine she didn't give me any mercy.

"Wow Katherine, is that really you? What did you do, give three quarters of yourself to the soap factory?" The girls and boys in her group laughed, eyeing me up and down thoroughly. But I wasn't going to sit back and take it this year.

"Actually Hannah, it looks like you got some, you're looking a bit wider than when I last saw you, maybe you should take your own advice and lay off the chips and biscuits," I sneered back at her.

She glared but was stopped from saying anything when the teacher came in. "At lunch today Kolarov you are going _down_," she spat before turning to the front, her followers snickering at me.

I knew she took Jujitsu or Judo or some kind of martial arts and I was a bit worried but I wasn't going to back down. I was going to finish this once and for all. The old Katherine would have gone and hid in the toilets for the duration of lunch, but not the new Katherine.

"Hmm that's a real shiner you have there, and that split lip looks painful," the nurse in ER laughed at me before she opened the side door. "Your father is down in the ward."

"Thanks Elise," I tried to smile but winced when my lip split even more.

"Kat? What happened, why are you out of school early?" My father asked me, placing the patients chart back at the bed end.

The old man in the bed laughed at me. "Looks like she got into a fight doc! Did the other person come out any better?"

"Without a scratch," I mumbled, looking away from the grinning stranger. My father shook his head and hearded me out.

"Go sit down in the nurses station while I go get some supplies. When I come back you will be telling me why you got into a fight on the first day of school," he ordered me, his voice weary with exasperation. I nodded and scurried to the nurses station.

"Wowa! Did you fall on someone's fist a few times Katherine?" the booming voice of Bertha awoke me from my daydream. I spun on the chair to face her and she winced for me. "Is your dad getting you some stiches?"

"Probably," I sighed laying my head down on the desk delicately. She took the seat beside me, dropping some charts in front of her. "So is it that bully girl that your dad said was giving you some hassle when you were a sophomore?" she asked. I looked up into her kind brown eyes and nodded. She huffed for me and gently rubbed my shoulder. "Those kinds of kids never make it anywhere Katherine, school is it for them. Just keep your eye on the prize." She flipped open a chart in the pretence of doing work. "Your dad said you want do medicine?"

I lifted my head, perking up a bit. "Yeah, or nursing. Seattle has good programs for both and it's not too far away." She nodded, my dad coming up behind her smiling.

"Is Bertha here straightening you out?" he asked optimistically, taking a seat on my other side, setting a wound pack and packet of steri strips on the table.

Giving me a overzealous wink that dad was sure to see she nodded, "Certainly Dr Kolarov, she knows that next time it has to be the other girl coming to get stitches." Dad shook his head and started wiping my lip and the split just below my eyebrow.

"Was it that Hannah girl again? I'm going to go have a speak with the headmaster," he said sternly, rubbing the saline in my cuts a little too rough.

"N-no dad please, it will only make it worse!" I whispered, pulling away a bit. He eyed me but didn't say anything.

I huffed in aggravation but didn't say anything else, knowing he would do what he wanted no matter how I objected. Bertha got up and headed off down the ward giving me a gently rub on the back as farewell.

"Your mother's home today so you can either go back to school or hang around in La Push until the end of school," he said as way of goodbye once he had finished with my face, already on his way to another patients room.

My dad knew how my mother was towards me and while he didn't openly admonish her he would be more lenient with me, helping me on the hush side. This was another example. Rather than go home and get into trouble with my mother for not only getting into a fight but also wagging school, dad had let me stay in La Push.

Being a nice day I parked my car by the beach and lay down in the sand, soaking up what little sun La Push had to offer. There were a few suspicious clouds further on in the sky but they looked fairly harmless for the moment. Feeling like a reptile I went into a lite doze from the warmth.

There was a yell behind me and I bolted up from my relaxed stupor, looking around wildly. There were several boys futher back to my left playing with a tennis ball. There were a few in the middle trying to catch it as the others threw it over their heads. None of them were wearing shirts though. I looked at my watch, realising that only half an hour had passed. Feeling a bit awkward just sitting here on my own I grabbed my bag and pulled myself to my feet. At that moment there was another yell and I looked up hearing the ball whistle by my head. One of the boys yelled a sorry and ran over to me to collect the ball.

"I'm so sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. Dragging my eyes from his abs I finally acknowledged he had spoken. The boyish grin on his face quickly turned blank as I took in the beautiful brown colour of his eyes.

Noticing how everything had quickly turned awkward, probably because my face was all bruised and puffy and weird to look at I stammered out, "um no worries." When he didn't stop staring at me I rubbed the length of my forearm looking anywhere but his intense eyes.

By this time two other boys had jogged over to see what was happening. "Paul, snap out of it," one shook his shoulder. He seemed to come back to the world for a second, glancing at the boy behind him before quickly glancing at me, suddenly starting to shake.

"Who did that to your face?" he growled, moved forward.

"Wha?" was my unintelligible response as a few of his friends jumped him and pinned him to the ground.

I stumbled back as his body started to vibrate unnaturally. The one who spoke before turned to me aggressively. "Go!" I nodded and ran from the beach to my car, wondering what the hell had happened to him.

Mother grounded me for a month because of my reckless unlady like behaviour at school. Dad came back from work and let her huff and puff at me without a word in edge ways. Once her face had turned red with anger she looked me up and down calculatingly. "You look like you've put on a few pounds since you got back. You are to go without tea tonight," she spat before stalking off to the kitchen. I slipped upstairs feeling thoroughly beaten, physically and emotionally. I had a quick shower and got into bed, my stomach gnawing at my insides. I hadn't had anything for breakfast because I had been too nervous and nothing for lunch because of the fight.

I fell asleep remembering the strange occurance at the beach, the beautiful brown eyes of a man named Paul.

I didn't have anything for breakfast again because the nausea I felt at the thought I had of school.

I started school yesterday believing I could be tough and strong, but now I was disillusioned. My new plan was going to be- ignore her, take what she could throw and don't bite back.

My mother intercepted me on the way out, glancing at my clothes in disdain.

"Honestly, you are wearing too much black Katherine, though you do have the figure to pull it off now." I nodded and jogged out to the car, my stomach reminding me of my defiance. I looked in the car mirror, checking I had put enough makeup to mostly cover the bruise forming on the outside of my eye. I looked like a damaged porcelain doll, my pale skin standing out against my dark brown hair more prominently than normal. I sighed and started my car.

I felt like something was coming to a head, like the air was charged with electricity.

I was just about to head inside when Alistair, one of the boys in Hannah's group, obstructed my path, taking my arm firmly in his hand and leading me away from the door.

"What do you want Alistair?" I asked, my voice holding nothing but defeat.

"I want to apologise for Hannah's behaviour yesterday," he said, his ladykiller smile out in full force.

"I know you want something Alistair, come out and say it," I spat, my face not melting from its stern stare.

His face dropped into a sulk. "Oh Kat, you're no fun!" He sighed, "if you must know I wanted to warn you about Hannah today, she is on the war path because Trent dumped her for being a bitch to you yesterday."

I stared at him in shock, "ah thanks?" He nodded and headed back into the school. I followed after him wondering why he had warned me. Not that the warning would help me in any way.

I got through the first three periods before lunch without any drama because Hannah didn't take Biology, Chemistry or Psychology. But she would certainly be at lunch.

"Wowa, look at those war wounds! I'm going to have to teach you how to throw a punch! It would have been great to see barbie loose a few teeth and get a misaligned nose!" my friend Henry slapped me on the back, falling into the lunch line with me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Seriously? You would have probably accidently punch yourself if you got into a fight."

He nodded, laughing, "yeah that would be true. I'm better at making love than war," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. I snorted and pushed him forward in the line. I suddenly caught sight of Bella talking with Edward Cullen across the cafeteria. She looked worried. I diverted my attention to the rest of the Cullen lot. They all held such a marble like perfection. Once I sat down with Henry I noticed Hannah giving me a nasty smirk from her table, surrounded by all her yabbering goons.

I sighed and put my chin in my hand, looking at Henry in belligerence.

"Don't worry Kath, she will settle down in a few days. Have you seen the new girl?" he pointed to an awkward looking girl in the cafeteria line, "see the one with those coke bottle glasses and dodgy orange hair? That's surely going to be Hannah's next victim."

I shook my head at him, "thanks for trying to cheer me up, but unless coke bottle girl trips Hannah over and breaks her nose, I don't think anything could divert her attention from me! Apparently Trent broke up with her because she was a bitch to me which is going to make her want to turn her bitch up from inhospitable to fervently obsessive."

Henry shook his head at me and went back to his lunch.


End file.
